. >> have great respect for senator mccain and his service to our country. i always have and i always will. i do think some of the statements he's made about me have been unfounded but i look forward to having the opportunity at the appropriate time to discuss all of this with him. >>> meanwhile, in new york city, thanksgiving is already under way. jay gray is with us along the parade route of the 86th annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. all right, jay, what are you up to now? >> reporter: good morning. you can see the floats lined up behind me on 77. what you see first is hello kitty, one of the newest floats, along with papa smurf. the balloons are lined up. if we come back to street level, you can see the floats lined up as well. everybody is ready to get these things going. it's an exciting morning. part of these floats that will be in the parade this year, we have a float that honors and represents the first responders to hurricane sandy, an important part of the theme of this year's parade. they want to make sure everyone here watching remembers the